Ounce of Blood, Pound of Friendship
by adventuresinknowledge
Summary: After three years, Ladybug and Chat Noir are trying to find Hawkmoth's lair but what they find is something they could have never prepared for.
1. Chapter 1

"Chat." The red suited heroine pouted and crossed her arms. "We agreed on no gifts." Blue eyes glared at the tiny wrapped box for emphasis.

"I know, my lady, but I could not resist." A sly grin spread across his lips, making Ladybug's blood boil. Here he was on one knee, offering the present like some actor in a Shakespeare play, the box balanced on one palm that was held out to her while his other hand rested over his heart.

"I'm not taking it." The statement was final and she turned her back to him, eyes closing as her nose turned up. "I refuse."

"Oh, My Lady. I am wounded. After three years of being partners and you still reject me. Besides, I have had this gift for awhile now and this is the only good time I have as an excuse to give it to you."

Ladybug made the mistake of opening her eyes and turning to glance at him. Sure enough, there was her leather clad partner with his wide green eyes that shone in the moonlight. Those thin lips pressed together as the bottom poked out only slightly to where the darker color of the inside of the lip could just barely be seen. The black mask crinkled as his brow bent inward, somehow making the eyes look bigger. It was the sad kitten face. The same face Manon used to give her when she had first started babysitting the little "angel." It was a face she couldn't resist.

Her suit covered hand shot out, snatching the gift. Immediately the impish smiled returned to the cat's face and he jumped to his feet, hands resting on her shoulders. "Don't worry, My Lady. You're going to love it I promise!" All traces of sadness were instantly gone, replaced with the child-like excitement she had come to expect.

"Don't touch me! I'm still mad at you..." She moved away from him. Now it was her turned to pout. Nimble fingers pulled the black ribbon away, letting the ends fall on either side of her hand. She was very much aware of Chat sneaking up behind her to peer over her shoulder, awaiting a reaction. After shooting a glare from the sides of her eyes at the man, she went back to opening the gift in a painfully slow manor. A whine of annoyance sounded from behind her making a smirk flash across her face. Finally the top was off. A gentle gasp escaped as her fingers carefully pulled out the small glass statue of the Eiffel Tower. "Chat... Oh you remembered..."

The memories of patrol three months earlier popped into her mind.

 _It had been raining the entire day, putting Paris in a grumpy mood but it had stopped just in time for their patrol. Everything shone under the moonlight as it peeked through a hole in the clouds. Chat was perched on a chimney, doing his best to get as far away from any puddles as he could. His tongue stuck out and he shook his hand wildly, water droplets flying off. They had surprised him when he had grabbed the side of the chimney._

 _Ladybug was late. A rarity. When she finally landed on the roof, it was thirty minutes after they were supposed to meet. "Sorry I'm late." Her voice was soft as she walked quickly to the opposite end. "Lets get going." No greeting, no explanation._

 _Chat frowned and bounded after her. Instead of running like she usually did, Ladybug was swinging through the streets. With his heightened senses, he could have sworn that he heard sniffling coming from her direction, but didn't have time to investigate._

 _The heroine landed on a rooftop, running and preparing herself to leap to the final building when her heel caught on a wet spot. The girl cried out in surprise and went sliding toward the edge, frozen in shock and fear. A streak of black raced forward, arms wrapping around her before they skidded to a halt, inches from the edge, both of them now in a sitting position. "T-Thanks..." Her voice was still soft and she refused to look at him, until a clawed hand reached over to rest on her cheek. After a moment, pressure was applied and he turned her face toward him, without much fight from the blunette. A fading redness on the edges of her eyes was the first thing to alert him to her feelings._

" _What's the matter, My Lady?" His gentle tone surrounded her, much like his arms, pulling out the words before she could stop them._

" _I broke my small glass Eiffel Tower statue..." The confession made her sigh. "I know it sounds like a stupid thing to cry over, but it was from the first time I remember being there. I had saved up all of my allowance from working for my parents and they took me to the Tower after shutting down the shop for an entire day. That was the only souvenir I bought. I tried to replace it, but they didn't have anymore at the gift shop. It was a perfect little replica with white lines representing the crossing beams. It didn't come with a base and was completely solid but not heavy at all. Along one side of the neck of the tower was the word "Paris" painted in gold lettering. It was only about fifteen centimeters tall and it sat on the desk near my computer. My bag was sitting next to it and when I went to return to school, it got caught on the corner and shattered on the floor. There's no way to fix it because it's in millions of pieces and they don't sell them anymore and..." She finally took a breath, wiping away tears threatening to fall._

Ladybug turned to him, white teeth pulling at her bottom lip before she spoke again. "You remembered."

"Of course, My Lady." Chat Noir gave a deep bow, looking up at her through his eyelashes. "I'd never forget something that made you cry like that, Bugaboo." A few seconds later, he straightened. "Now shall we..." His words were cut off as the air was knocked out of him from the force of her hug. The flirtatious attitude disappeared for a moment as he stood there, surprised at the intimate action. Once his brain began to work again, he wrapped his arms around her as well. Their relationship mostly consisted of Chat's flirting and Ladybug's rejections. There were rare times that they went any further than that unless it was necessary during a battle. And it wasn't like they hadn't hugged before. But this hug was different. It leaked with emotions. Sadness, joy, surprise, a tiny bit of leftover anger, and something else that Chat couldn't quite place. "Careful, LB. You'll get akumatized if you get any more emotional." The deep voice purred.

"Shut up kitty." And surprisingly he obeyed. After a minute of standing with her face buried in his chest, Ladybug stepped back. The gift was placed back in the box and hidden behind a chimney. "So it won't break while we patrol." She explained, seeing the skeptical look cross his face. "Lets go. It's getting late." With that she was gone.

Chat hesitated a moment, watching her red form pierce the dark of the night sky. "Now why did you have to go and react like that, Bugaboo." He whispered into the wind. "I was just starting to get over you."

Marinette collapsed into her desk chair, eyes following the red kwami as she floated to the bottomless jar of cookies sitting on the opposite end. It had been moved there after the Eiffel Tower incident. A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she pulled the replacement souvenir out of the box. Her hands hesitated when she went to place it in the same spot as before. "Perhaps that's not the best idea." Tikki pipped up from her spot on the cookie jar rim.

"I know but... I want it near my computer..." Her lips twisted into a partial frown as she tried to determine where the gift would go. Finally she decided on the window sill behind her computer. That way she would still be able to see it easily and the sun would be able to reflect through it during the day.

With a satisfied nod, the student turned back to her desk. Her science assignment sat there, mocking her with its unfinished problems. She had been working on this for hours and it was barely halfway done. Perhaps she would talk to Adrien about it during lunch tomorrow if he didn't have a photoshoot. With a sigh she moved on, pulling up a web browser on her computer.

Google was pulled up before she typed "fashion internship in paris" in the search bar. Her eyes scanned the pages, hoping to find something new. It was the beginning of the school year, but if she wanted to have a chance to get into IFA Paris, then having some sort of experience would be helpful. She was stuck between trying to find an internship she could actually get into and putting all her hopes on an application for a larger company. Of course her prefered choice would be working for Gabriel Agreste. Maybe she could talk to Adrien about the process. Her hand reached for her phone to text the blonde, but after looking at the time she decided against it. School started in seven hours. He probably wouldn't appreciate being woken up to talk about his father.

"Probably best to get some sleep. I don't want to be late too early in the school year." She said aloud, partially to Tikki but mainly to herself. It took a moment to find the motivation to move. Patrols always left her drained. Even with the magic suit to help her leap across rooftops and the lean muscles that had formed from three years of saving Paris, racing through the city was still an exhausting experience. The best thing to do would be to go to bed earlier and be refreshed when her alarm eventually went off, but Marinette was a night owl. During the summer she would stay up until one or two in the morning and sleep until noon. But that wasn't possible during the school year and habits were hard to break.

It was five minutes before the girl finally rose from her seat and headed to the bathroom. The ribbons holding her hair up fluttered to the counter. Once a brush pulled the knots from her hair, she leaned forward. Maybe she should start wearing her hair down more. Alya had been trying to convince her to for over a year now, claiming it would make her look older. Sure the pigtails were childish, but she had worn them for three years now and they were Ladybug's hairstyle too. It was hard to change something that seemed so important to her personality. But change was good...sometimes.

"Marinette?" TIkki floated in to find her chosen inches from the mirror. "What are you doing?"

"Well I started out trying to decide how to wear my hair tomorrow, then I started noticing all the pimples..." Fingertips brushed the skin of her cheeks where small red bumps were starting to form.

"Well don't touch them! It will only agitate it. Didn't you buy that special face cream?" The bug scolded, pushing her hand away.

"Yes mom." Marinette stuck her tongue out before rifling through the cabinets, bottles clattering onto the tile. "Where is it... Where is it... AHA!" A thump echoed through the wood as she sat up too soon. A hiss escaped clenched teeth as her free hand moved to rub the back of her head.

"Careful." Tikki mumbled, peeking over the side only to receive a glare from bluebell eyes.

"A little too late there Tikki." A growl followed each word as she stood, grabbing a hair clip to pin back her hair as she wet her face. The kwami quickly flew out of the way, but Marinette was able to splash her with water droplets from her fingers. Now it was Tikki's turn to glare. The cream was applied and left to dry as she brushed her teeth. Once everything was cleaned off, she donned her pajamas which were just pink yoga shorts and a baggy t-shirt, before crawling into bed. With the alarms set on her phone, she settled into the blankets. "Goodnight Tikki."

"Goodnight Marinette." The kwami answered from her spot on a pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

As the fifth alarm entitled "Last Chance" went off, Tikki was past annoyed. Like every morning, the fairy was bright eyed and ready to start the day as soon as the first alarm went off, while her chosen was reluctant to move from the warm cocoon of her blankets. So far the kwami had managed to move her toward the edge of the bed and get her head off the end.

The red bug huffed in annoyance before flying into the bathroom and grabbing the plastic cup, filling it with just enough water to coat the bottom. After a bit of struggled flying, she was finally hovering over Marinette. With one last bit of effort, the cup was turned over and its contents dumped onto the sleeping teenager.

"Ah!" She jumped up, blue eyes wide as her body tensed ready for the potential danger. A droplet ran down her nose, making her go cross-eyes before glaring at the floating being in front of her. "Tikki!"

"Good morning Marinette!" She smiled. "You should get ready for school!" She flew off to returning the bathroom. There was no way she was going back to sleep now.

Marinette groaned and rolled out of bed, shuffling down the ladder stairs before moving toward her dresser. After a moment of staring at her usual outfit, hand hovering over the clothing. If she was really gonna wear her hair down today then why not change her clothes too...right? A groan of annoyance escaped her lips. This was too much to think about this morning. She grabbed her usual jacket and pink pants. One change was enough for today.

Teeth brushed, check. Hair brushed, check. Bag ready, check. Breakfast, check. Once she made sure she had everything for a third time, she hurried down the stairs. School wasn't across the street anymore, which meant she had a bit of a walk.

The high school was about the same size as her middle school with a few more classrooms. The brick building stood tall near the Canal de l'Ourcq, it's large windows allow plenty of natural light to shine in from the sun and the water's reflection. Each subject was in a different area of the school. The building was shaped in a diamond with a beautiful courtyard within the middle where the students could sit and do homework or eat lunch during their break. The courtyard has two large paved sidewalks creating a plus sign. The rest of the area was grass with a few trees scattered throughout as well as small flowerbeds to add some color. Stone benches had been randomly placed so the students would have a place to sit. Each grade was on a different side of the diamond, making it easy to get to the required classes. Luckily only two classes had lunch at the same time every day so the courtyard was never too crowded.

Marinette bounded up the stairs, coming to a stop next to Alya who was on her phone as usual. "Hey!"

Alya glanced up. "Hey girl!" Thumbs still tapped away at a message. "You're not late today. Very impressive."

A shrug. "Well I figured I should be on time especially this early in the year. You know so when I'm late as the year goes on it doesn't look as bad."

That got a laugh. "True true and it-" The girl's head finally rose and she gasped. "Omg Mari! You're wearing your hair down!" You would've thought she had figured out Marinette was Ladybug with how excited she was getting.

"Um yeah I figured, you know, why not. And I was too lazy to put it up in pigtails today." Another shrug.

"Well I'm glad you finally took my advice." Her arm was slung around her shoulder before she was led inside. The conversation turned to homework, Alya's relationship, boys who Alya thought Marinette would look cute with, and finally ended on the Ladyblog, as always. The chat continued as they walked toward their first class. Luckily both of them had French and History together but that was the only class. They had both chosen the vocational method of education so Marinette took more art classes since she wanted to go into fashion while Alya's classes revolved more around professional writing in order to prepare herself for her reporting and media courses in college. There weren't any that overlapped; even their core curriculum classes were at different times.

"So are we going to eat lunch with Nino and _Adrien_?" A sly smile, resembling Chat's very closely from the night before, as it formed on the face of her most friends face.

"Alya I told you. I don't have a crush on him anymore. I got over that a year and a half ago. I mean I don't even have his pictures in my room or on my desktop anymore."

"Oh look at my little Mari growing up." She feigned pride as they took their seats in the second row.

"Yeah yeah." Marinette rolled her eyes before pulling out her homework and tablet so she would be able to take notes. French and History passed before she bid Alya farewell and went to Math. Nino shared that class with her. Then there was English, then Mandarin was the last class before lunch, which she shared with Adrien.

"Hey so could you help me with my science homework today during lunch?" Her blue eyes looked up at the blonde as then moved toward the courtyard. Puberty had treated him well. He was now a head and a half taller than the blunette. The gentle curved jaw had hardened on the edges and had elongated slightly. It was obvious that he was muscular under his shirts and he definitely had a six-pack that would show when he stretched. Not that Marinette had been looking purposefully. But when you're in the same friend group it's hard to miss after hanging out for long periods of time. And of course his voice had gotten deeper.

Though Adrien wasn't be only one who had developed. Each of them had. Nino was still shorter than Adrien but towered over Marinette like the blonde did. His voice wasn't too deep, but he could make it go really low. He called it his radio voice and would whip it out randomly to narrate situations. Alya and Marinette had grown a bit as well. They were about the same height, but Alya was much more voluptuous than Marinette. Her breasts and butt had grown to match the curve of her waist and her larger legs. The girl would constantly complain about having trouble finding shirts that fit and how they made her back sore if she stood too long.

Marinette didn't feel sorry for her. She loved her friend but still envied each curve of her body. She herself was still a stick, only now she had a few bumps on her. Her breasts weren't too small. They were about the size of mangos. And her butt stuck out farther than before. It matched with the muscular thighs she had obtained as Ladybug. But for the most part Marinette was happy with her body. Especially the way it worked in a skintight suit.

"Oh course." Adrien answered through a chuckle. "You're lucky I don't have a photo shoot today or you would be out of luck."

"Yeah thanks for reminding me." They plopped down on a bench near Alya and Nino who were kissing against a wall. Marinette calmly opened her lunch and grabbed a grape, hitting Alya in the forehead. "Hey lovebirds. No PDA."

"You're just jealous." The girl stuck her tongue out at Marinette and there was a soft whisper growl of "careful with that" from said boyfriend.

"I bet you two can't go a full school day without having your hands on each other." Adrien shot a look at Nino, offering it as a challenge.

Before the boy could answer, Alya covered his mouth with a hand. "You're right. We couldn't." She sat down, leaning against Marinette's leg as she pulled out her own food.

"That's not what I-"

"I know what you meant and I'd rather not waste any time I have with him before we go off to different colleges."

"That's not until next year." Adrien pointed out.

"Don't care."

"New subject please!" Marinette said as she made a sandwich from the ingredients her mom had packed her.

Science was right after lunch, again with Adrien, before two periods of gym. She hated it but at least she got it out of the way early in the week. It's not that she was bad at the sports; she just hated all the ridiculous competition created between people in the class. Mainly Alix and Kim.

Today was the continuation of their first sport selected. Marinette had chosen Gymnastics, Games, and Swimming. Currently they were in the Gymnastics section. Unfortunately Chloe was in her class and was complaining as usual. The girl hadn't even changed into her uniform. Today they were going to be tested on their skills on the balance beam. They had been practice for a week now and were going to move on, but the teacher wanted to see how far they had advanced.

Marinette watched quietly as people took their assessments, nervously fiddling with the edge of her shirt. She couldn't decide if she wanted to do well or not. Of course this sort of thing wasn't hard for her after three years of being Ladybug, but would it be too much to succeed? She had become much less clumsy because of her alter ego and was able to excel in areas where she had not before, but this was still a difficult decision.

The blonde noticed Marinette's restlessness and smirked, leaning toward the girl. "Be careful Marinette. Wouldn't want to do something klutzy and embarrass yourself in front of everyone." All she received was a roll of the eyes from her victim. Finally it was Marinette's turned and she stood, walking over to the end of the beam.

"This will be entertaining."

Chloe's voice reached her and made her hands curl into fists. It was then she decided that she would not hold back. She used the springboard to get on the balance beam, going straight into a handstand. That made Chloe shut up immediately while a smile spread across the thin pink lips of the girl on the beam. Once she was fully standing, she did a few cartwheels, adding in round offs, rolls into handstands and flips without her hands. She moved to the edge and ran forward, performing one last round off before launching into a flip and landing on the mat. As her classmates began to clap, the realization of what she had done came over her and her head lowered in shame. This was one of the many times that she had taken advantage of her powers as Ladybug to spite someone else. However, this time was different. She hadn't actually transformed so was it still breaking the rules? The teacher congratulated her on her performance before she received a few high fives from members of the class.

When classes finished, she headed toward the exit mind already on the work she had to do for tomorrow when three shadows threw her into darkness. A sigh escaped her, expecting it to be Chloe and her lackey come to bother her more. She froze when she saw Alya and the boys smirking down at her. The only thought that went through Marinette's head was, _if this were an anime their faces would be black and Nino's glasses would be white as the background darkened around me._

"So girl," the obvious mastermind of the scheme her friends had hatched up spoke as she put a hand on her shoulder. "This Sunday is your birthday."

The color drained from Marinette's face and she tried to back away, eyes searching for a way out, but Adrien and Nino were too fast. They stepped up beside her and each put an arm around her. A whine escaped the prisoner as Alya continued.

"This Sunday is your birthday and we are going to celebrate. Because it's not everyday that a person turns eighteen." She stated. "And the three of us have planned a surprise for you. All you have to do is not plan anything all day."

"Alya you know I-"

"Nope! No getting out of this. Your parents know the plan and have already agreed to it."

The blunette pouted and crossed her arms, mumbling a fine before wiggling out of the boys' grip and starting to walk home so she could sulk about it for an hour or so.


	3. Chapter 3

"And they know I hate celebrating my birthday is huge ways..." Marinette complained to Nathanaël in their last session of art on Saturday. "I just don't see what the big deal is. I wish Alya would stop doing stuff like this. I mean she's gotten me to be more open and social but sometimes it's too much."

The red headed boy nodded. "I understand. I'm a similar way. I'd rather just do something quiet."

"And I don't even know what their doing! That's the main issue!" She whined. "I mean if I knew where we were going for my birthday then I-"

"Mari!" The shrill voice sounded from behind her and the girl in question tried not to wince from guilt. Her sketchbook was set down and she turned, painting a smile on her face.

"Hey Lila. Back from America already?"

Lila walked over and pulled Marinette into a hug. "Yes! It was so boring though and all the people are really weird. But they loved my accent!" She let go and flipped a strand of hair behind her shoulder. "How have you been though? Did I hear something about going somewhere for your birthday? When is it?"

"Y-Yeah Alya and the boys are taking me somewhere tomorrow. I don't know where though." She admitted, rubbing her arm.

A gasp escaped the other. "It's tomorrow?! Oh my gosh happy birthday!" Her arms wrapped around Marinette tightly, making the girl squeak as the air in her lungs was forced from her body.

"Thanks." She rasped. Class was dismissed and she turned back to Nathanaël when her feet returned to the ground. "Do you wanna meet up later to study for that test next week?"

"Yeah. I'll text you."

With a nod, Marinette turned to walk out only to find her arm wrapped up in Lila's. "We are getting dinner together!" It obviously wasn't a suggestion as she pulled the other toward the entrance. As they exited, she received a confused look from her friends. Their silent questions were only met with a shrug before Lila noticed them. "Hey guys!" She walks over, eyes on Adrien as her fingers wiggled a greeting. "We're going to dinner if anyone wants to join us." Even though it was an open invitation, her body language made it clear that it was directed at one person.

"Can't. Nino and I have a date." Alya answered sharply. Her dislike of the girl had only groan from how she treated and talked about Ladybug.

"Adrien?"

"I'm sorry Lila. I have to be at fencing today." He rubbed the bag of his neck, looking a bit relieved that he had an excuse.

"Well that's too bad. It'll just be us girls then." Marinette was pulled along once again, set free only when they arrived at a small cafe down the road. "Sit!" She commanded, pointing to the seat across from her. "My treat!"

"Oh well thank you." She answered with a smile as her phone buzzed. Adrien's picture appeared in a little bubble next to the text message.

 _Sorry you got stuck alone at lunch with Lila_.

A frown flitted across her lips before disappearing. Luckily Lila was busy looking at the menu.

 ** _It's fine. I really don't mind. She's nicer than you guys give her credit for._**

 _If you say so._

Now Marinette was starting to get irked.

 ** _Why are you being so judgmental_** _?_

 _Well... Because she was an akuma..._

 ** _Yeah and so were Nino and Alya. Should we treat them differently_** _?_

 _Well she also doesn't like Ladybug..._

 ** _So what. People can have their own opinions. It doesn't make them a bad person._**

Her phone was flipped to silent and shoved in her pocket while her attention returned to Lila. "So. What's good here?" Thin fingers grabbed the menu and she began to scan over it.

"I don't know. I've never been here before." Lila answered.

"Oh very helpful." A giggle left her lips before she decided on just a cup of coffee since it was family dinner tonight and she would be getting a big meal. Her menu was lowered and she could hear her phone buzzing with unread text messages, so she grabbed it and placed it in her purse without glancing at the screen.

Marinette sat quietly after they ordered, listening to Lila's stories and gossip. She couldn't help but wonder how many of them were actually true but after what happened with Ladybug she had decided to reach out to the girl as a friend. This was one of the times she could take advantage of being Ladybug is a positive way. Lila seemed to react well to Marinette's advances, though as soon as she had started being kind to Lila, Chloe had jumped in and tried to befriend the new girl as well. But that didn't last long. As soon as Lila made it clear that she didn't like Ladybug, Chloe shunned her.

That simply pushed Lila closer to Marinette. Apparently all the moving around her parents did made forming friendships difficult for her. That was why she lied about so many things. So when someone actually wanted to be her friend, it made the girl a little clingy. But it only seemed to bother Marinette's friends. The blunette couldn't care less. Even though they didn't know it, she felt like she was fixing the mistakes she had made as Ladybug.

Lila had gotten a lot better about her attitude toward the super heroine. Marinette didn't try to convince her to like Ladybug. That was the job of Alya and Chloe but it usually ended in anger or screaming.

After an hour of Lila's talking, Marinette informed her that she had to head home. Of course Lila offered to walk her home, though the other was positive that there would be no arguing with that decision. With their arms linked, they headed toward the bakery. This gave Lila time for a few more stories. Eventually their goodbye ended in a rib-bruising hug before Marinette was released.

After a quick greeting for her parents, she moved to her room to do homework until dinner. Since she was being kidnapped tomorrow, she assumed there wouldn't be time for work. But if she could get her French and History homework and her Math done tonight, she could talk to Adrien during lunch about her Science homework. Luckily there wasn't homework in art or gym.

Before starting on her work, she checked her messages to see who had been texting her multiple times during lunch but she was pretty sure she knew who it was already. And she was correct. There were five unread messages from Adrien.

 _I'm not saying she's a bad person for not liking Ladybug but she did lie about knowing her._

 _Come on Marinette I'm just trying to make sure you're careful._

 _Why do you have to be so stubborn about everything?_

 _Mari?_

 _Fine. I'll see you tomorrow then._

Marinette let out a sigh. This boy's confidence bruised like a peach.

 ** _I understand your concern but just because someone else has a different opinion than most people doesn't make them bad. Everyone lies but that doesn't mean they're a bad person. It was obvious Lila needed a friend and I'm happy to be one for her._**

Her phone was set to the side again as she pulled it all of her work. She managed to get through all of her French and History before it was time for dinner. Then it was back to homework for the rest of the night.

Halfway through her Math homework, the buzzing of her phone alerted her to a new message. "If it's Adrien again I'm going to get really..." She trailed off when Alya's name lit up the screen.

 _Hey girl. Make sure to set out that new dress you made tonight. I know you're not going to be conscious enough to find it in the morning. Love ya! ~Aly_

"My dress?!" Her head whipped around to stare at the piece of clothing in her closet. It was her latest creation, as in she had just finished it last week. The under layer was a sweetheart cut made from duchess satin material she had found on sale at a fabric store a few months back. It was an eggshell color and wasn't too shiny. It was a high waisted dress that stopped just above her knees. The top layer was eggshell colored tulle with soft pleats in the top that gathered on the right side of the bodice. The tulle created a scoop neckline with two-inch straps. In between the layers, Marinette had sewn pink, white, and red silk roses onto the duchess silk. The flowers ranged between fully bloomed and only budding. There was also ivy sewn into the first fabric. It inched up the sides of her dress and along the chest while the rest was gathered around the bottom, free to move as she walked. There were also silk rose buds at the bottom as well. The dress had taken quite a long time to make and she was rather proud of it. She was just waiting for a special occasion to wear it. Apparently Alya dubbed this a special enough event.

A knock on the trapdoor interrupted her thoughts. "Come in." She called, blue eyes moving to glance at the door. Her mom's head popped up after the door was pushed open.

"Hey sweetie. Alya just called and told me they were taking you somewhere tomorrow. I'll have breakfast made for you and your friends in the morning. I'll leave a note so you don't forget it." She smiled.

"Thanks mom. I'm sure they'll really appreciate that." Marinette smiled. Once her mom was gone, she leaned back and sighed happily. Even though she hated celebrating her birthday, she had to admit she was pretty lucky. Her friends were going out of their way to take her somewhere special and her parents were completely okay with it. They were even making breakfast for everyone. It was really nice to know that she was cared for, especially after Collège.

Alya called Marinette the "most popular girl in school" though the blunette had a very hard time believing it. She just tried to be nice and fair to everyone. Apparently that's why Marinette was the "popular" girl because she was kind. Alya also hypothesized that this is why Chloe didn't like her.

That was a nice idea, but Marinette experiences before Alya transfer in during the last year of Collège didn't allow much room for the idea of her being "popular". Chloe had decided to make Marinette's life a living hell. Every day the blonde came up with a new way to insult her. It started the first day of Sixième. Marinette had been so excited to start Collège and then Chloe had walked in.

 _"Class." The teacher announced, drawing everyone's attention. "This is Chloe Bourgeois. She is knew this year. Why don't you introduce yourself?"_

 _The girl scoffed. "Ugh fine." She stepped forward and narrowed her eyes, glaring around the room before she spoke. "I'm Chloe and my father is the mayor so don't bother me!" She turned and marched toward the seat next to Sabrina._

 _"What's her problem?" Marinette heard Alix whisper to Kim in the row behind her. Perhaps the girl just needed a friend._

 _When the bell rang, dismissing them to lunch, Marinette gathered up her things and quickly moved in front of Chloe's desk. "Hi. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's really nice to meet you!"_

 _Blue eyes snapped over to the girl, quickly looking her up and down. Another scoffed escaped her mouth, which was shiny from the lipstick that had been reapplied seconds before. "Oh yes it's_ really nice _to meet you too. I love interacting with annoying girls from lower classes." She grabbed her bag and stood._

 _"Lower classes? But we're in the same grade?" Marinette's brow furrowed as she watched the girl walk toward the door, only to pause and let out a sharp laugh._

 _"Look at that. Her brains match her sense of style." She laughed again and walked out. Sabrina shot her an apologetic look before following._

 _"What...just happened?" The girl mumbled, too shocked and confused to even move._

From then on, Chloe had made a point to insult her multiple times a day. As the bullying got worse, people stopped talking to Marinette all together or they would be bullied as well. After three years of being in the same class with Chloe, Marinette was turned into a shy, quiet girl who kept her head down and didn't talk to anyone.

When she found out that Chloe was in the same class as her during Troisième, she assumed it would be yet another year of bullying. But that's when she met Alya and everything changed. Without her best friend, Marinette would never be the girl she was today and would never have become Ladybug. The encouragement of her friend to stand up for herself, gave her the strength to become the super heroine, the protector of Paris, the defeater of evil.

It wasn't until just after midnight that Marinette finally finished her homework, even her Science. The dress was set out on the couch, phone was plugged in, and Marinette had just crawled into bed. "So where do you think they're going to take me tomorrow?" She asked the kwami as she reached over to turn off the lights.

"I don't know. But if you're wearing your new dress I'm sure it's somewhere special!" Tikki exclaimed and hugged her cheek. "Oh that reminds me!" The little red bug darted off toward the desk, making her chosen furrow her brow in confusion. When she returned, she was struggling to carry a little wrapped box.

"Oh Tikki. You didn't have to get me anything."

"Happy birthday, Marinette!" She dropped the gift into her hands before hugging the girl's cheek tightly.

Nimble fingers made quick work of the wrapping paper before opening the box. Inside was a small rolled up scroll. "What's this?" She asked, pulling it out and trying to read it, but the writing was too small to make out in the darkness of the room.

"You've always said that you wanted to learn about past Ladybugs, so I wrote down their names and the year they were born." Tikki explained.

"Oh my gosh this is amazing! Thank you so much!" Marinette gasped. A hand reached toward the light switch, but she stopped herself with a groan. She wanted to read it right then but she really had to go to sleep. Whatever Alya was planning was definitely going to take up all of her energy for the day.

* * *

 **Okay sorry for the weird code before. I have no idea what happened.**

 **And I'm so sorry this took so long. But I graduated from college so now I just have to get marred then all my big events for this year will be complete. I'll do my best to update before the wedding. Thanks so much for being patient!**


	4. Chapter 4

A loud voice broke through the peaceful sleep of the birthday girl, making her moan and roll onto her stomach. Hands moved to pull the blanket over her head, but something stopped her. "Oh no no no girl. I know how hard it is to get you out of bed, especially once you've pulling the blanket over yourself. Up!" The comforter was ripped away, drawing a cry of annoyance from Marinette.

"No... Five more minutes..." She whined, hand sliding around the mattress in search of any type of covering.

"I've been trying to wake you up for five minutes." Alya retorted. "Up!" Marinette obeyed, but she made it clear that she was not happen. Her signature zombie shuffle was performed on the way to the bathroom, before brushing her teeth and hair. As she moved to pull them into pigtails, hands stopped her yet again. "Nope. I'm doing your hair." Marinette didn't complain. That meant less work for her.

Alya helped her pull on the dress before sitting her down in the bathroom. A curling iron was pulled out and Marinette did her best to stay still as she dozed off. Something was shoved into her head when Alya finished with her hair. Then it was time to leave her room.

Alya helped the half-sleep girl down the stairs so she didn't fall. Nino and Adrien sat on the couch, snacking on the pastries the Dupain-Chengs had set out for them. "Alya, have you tried these?" Nino exclaimed, crumbled flying from his lips since he had just taken a bite.

"No but from what I can see you're enjoying them." She chuckled.

Sabine came out of her room, smiling at the group. "Good morning everyone. Alya, did you find everything you needed?" She asked before smiling gently at her daughter.

"Yes I did thank you."

"Oh she looks wonderful. I'm sure she will have a lovely day with you all. Oh and here." She moved to the kitchen and pulled a small bag filled with a few different pastries. "This is for Marinette when she wakes up. I know she'll be hungry."

"I'll make sure Nino doesn't eat it all." Alya chuckled receiving an annoyed grunt from her boyfriend, who couldn't respond with words since he had just shoved an entire half of a croissant into his mouth. "Alright boys. Let's get birthday girl into the car."

They nodded and followed Alya out the door. Adrien and Nino thanked Sabine before the door was shut and they were on their way. Everyone moved toward Alya's car, climbing into their designated seats before Alya got into the front. Marinette had been buckled into the back with Adrien. "Alright, Mari. You have about thirty minutes to wake up before we get there. I want you smiling and perky by the time I finish parking." She received a groan in response. "Adrien, if she doesn't wake up ten minutes from our destination I give you permission to squirt her with that spray bottle on the floor."

"Don't you dare." Marinette growled. "I worked hard on this dress. I will kill you if you ruin it."

"Hey she spoke!" Nino exclaimed.

"Here we go!" Alya pulled into traffic and drove down the road, using a GPS app on her phone as a guide.

It took about twenty minutes, but Marinette finally came to her senses. The first things she did, was check for a purse. Her eyes widened when she didn't feel one. Where was Tikki?! Her eyes moved to the front seat where Alya and Nino were singing along to the blaring music. Adrien was staring quietly it the window. Marinette felt her heartbeat quicken and her breathing stop as she looked around for the kwami. There was a sudden wiggling against the base of her skull. Her hand flew up to her hair, feeling a Tikki sized lump hiding in the curls. A sigh of relief escaped, making the girl slump against the seat, careful to not squish the recently found kwami. As her hand moved back to rest on her lap, it brushed against something else on her head. Immediately her hand went for her purse, which usually held her phone. But as she had just recently discovered, there was no purse. "Um Alya. Two things. One, where's my phone? And two, what is on my head?" She reached over to the bag in between her and Adrien, pulling out a pastry and taking a small bite as she awaited an answer.

"One, I left it at home. You will have to go through one of us for anything that might require a phone." Alya responded. "And two, it's a tiara. Don't touch it. It took my five minutes to get it perfect."

A tiara? Why in the world did she need a tiara? This question was answered a few minutes later as her eyes went wide when she realized where they were. "You didn't..." A smile spread across her lips as she stared out the window. "Oh my gosh Alya you didn't!"

Her blue eyes were glued to the overhead sign as Alya rolled to a stop, paying the parking fee before she continued. "Oh but I did." All annoyance at being dragged out of bed at eight in the morning was gone, replaced by wonder and excitement.

"Oh my gosh, I love you! I can't believe it!" Marinette squealed, practically bouncing in her seat.

As the castle began to appear above the trees, Marinette held her breath once more. She turned and grabbed Adrien's arm, the biggest smile she had ever managed spreading across her face. "I've never been to Disneyland before!"

Adrien chuckled. "I know. That's why we're taking you. Now please let go you are cutting off my circulation."

She blushed and released him, instead gripping the seat. Ever since she was young, she had loved Disney movies. She loved the songs, the beautiful colors, and the dresses. It was the thing that got her interested in fashion design. However, her parents never had enough money or time to take her, so it had become nothing but a dream.

 _During an end-of-the-summer slumber party before Première began, with all the girls in the class, she had been playing Truth or Dare. Of course she had chosen Truth after watching Juleka drink a raw egg and Alix call a restaurant asking if they had any chicken butt. Her question from Rose was "What is one thing you have always dreamed of doing?" It was a boring question according to Alya, because she assumed, like the others did, Marinette's answer would be something involving fashion._

 _"Well, I've never been to Disneyland and I've always wanted to ever since I was a kid because I've always loved Disney. My parents just never had the funds or the time to take away from the bakery so I settled on watching the movies instead." The blunette mused, lounging on the couch with her head hanging off the edge. When her gaze moved back to the others, they were all staring at her with wide but sympathetic eyes. "What?"_

 _"Mari! That was so cute!" Alya moved over and hugged her friend. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you go to Disneyland before we both graduate."_

Now here they were, walking toward the shuttles that would take them to the park. Marinette had grabbed onto Adrien's arm again, bouncing up and down, much like the five-year-old girl with the family beside them. "What are we going to do first? Rides or visiting characters? Is it busy? Is the food good?" The questions continued to flow from the girl until finally Alya put her hand against her mouth.

"Look girl. It's your birthday and I love you but you have to stop talking." She practically begged.

"Sorry." Marinette said and lowered her head, releasing Adrien's arm. The tram arrived and they boarded. The castle was starting to get closer making Marinette bite her lip to hold her excitement. "Wait..." She frowned when a thought struck her. "How am I going to pay for anything?"

"You're not." The blonde boy next to her smiled. "I'm paying for everything today."

"I-What?! No no I can't let you do that!" She shook her head. "I have some money saved up at home I can-" A single finger against her lips stopped her words.

"No. I'm paying for everything." He said, pulling his hand back only after she nodded in agreement.

The park wasn't very busy since it was the middle of September. Most people had started school or were too busy with their work to have enough free time to drive to Disneyland. At the gates, their fingers were scanned along with their tickets before they were ushered inside. Marinette, of course, ran onto Main Street, stopping just after the gates. Those bluebell eyes opened as wide as they could go, reflecting the light of the sun making it look as if they were sparkling. This brought a smile to Adrien's face, which he quickly hid with a hand by faking a cough.

"Alright. First things first. You have to earn your ears girl!" Alya pulled her toward the gift shop.

Different types of ear hats covered all the walls in one of the rooms and there were still more on turnstiles scattered around the floor. Marinette took her time at each wall, carefully examining each set of ears. She wanted to choose the right ones. Alya went with a pair of purple sequined ears with Ursula tentacles wrapping around them while Nino picked the large Goofy hat with long ears coming off the side. Adrien was just wandering around the room, glancing over at Marinette every now and again. Finally the girl picked black ears with a red bow for Minnie but they were covered in sequins. Adrien walked over a few minutes later with regular Mickey ears.

"Hey look we match." He smiled, standing next to Marinette as she looked in the mirror. Marinette nodded before going back to trying to fit the headband comfortably around the tiara. Luckily the crown wasn't too big so it only took a few tries before getting it right. The hats were paid for and Alya strolled over with her hands behind her back.

"One last thing before we head out." She pulled two buttons out and fastened one above each boob. "There you are!"

The one on the left was yellow with the main characters surrounded by confetti. In blue lettering under them it read "1st visit!" On the right was blue with a large birthday cake sitting on top of a cream banner. The purple words across the top read "Happy Birthday" and on the banner written in sharpie was Marinette's name.

"Alright. So today we are just gonna hit the Disneyland park because there's way too much stuff to try and do in both parks in one day. We aren't even gonna hit everything today." Alya explained as she pulled Marinette down Main Street. The girl in tow was half listening as she marveled at the buildings around them. But soon her eyes landed on Sleeping Beauty's castle. A sharp gasp escaped her and then it was Alya's turn to be dragged along.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh!" She stopped in front of the stage, hands curled into fists as she stared up at the pink building. As her mouth hung open, her legs wiggled back and forth. "We all have to take a picture with it!" She turned toward her friends. "Please?" Of course they all agreed. Alya held out her phone for a selfie when a worker walked over and offered to take it. They all smiled and Nino gave Alya bunny ears with his fingers but they ended up hidden by her ears.

"Okay Mari." Alya put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Who are your favorite Disney characters?"

"Rapunzel, Peter Pan, aaaannnddd..." She tapped her chin as she thought. "Belle!"

"Perfect. Nino you got that?" The boy gave a thumbs up. "So what's the first thing on our list, boyfriend?"

"That would be Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. Then we do the Star Tours before moving to Fantasyland."

"Sounds great, let's go!" Marinette grabbed her friends and tried to run toward the rides, but Adrien and Alya weren't moving fast enough for her liking.

As the day went on, they hit all the big rides like Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and "It's A Small World" (which creeped everyone out except Marinette who bobbed her head along with the music the entire time). After that they ate at Walt's American Restaurant before it was time to visit her favorite characters.

"What are they like? Will they be okay even though I'm older?" The blunette pushed herself up onto her toes to try and see Peter Pan at the beginning of the line.

"Yes it'll be fine don't worry." Adrien put his hand on her shoulder. "They'll love you no matter what age you are." Her blue eyes turned toward him before she nodded, though she still fidgeted with her fingers the entire time they were in line. When it was their turn, Marinette pushed Alya and Nino forward to meet with the boy first. Jokes were thrown back and forth before a picture was taken. Now it was the next person's turn.

Marinette stepped forward and gave Peter a small wave. "H-Hi."

His head snapped around to look at her. "Oh you must be a lost girl!"

"A lost girl?" Her gaze moved to Alya, who gave her a thumbs up.

"Of course I mean look at your dress." Marinette turned back toward the boy who was now bent over at the waist, holding a handful of her dress. "It's made from ivy and flowers." He straightened, chest puffing out as he pointed to himself with his thumb. "My clothes are made from leaves. So that makes you a lost girl. How did you escape Neverland when Tinkerbell is here with me? Hmm?" Now he was inches from her face.

A smile slowly spread across her lips. "I-I um have a hidden stash of pixie dust that Tinkerbell gave me." Was that right? Was she supposed to play along?

Peter huffed, arms crossing. "I'll have to have a talk with her about that... I'm the only one who is supposed to have pixie dust!" His eyes moved to her buttons. "And it's your birthday! You better not get to old. Then you can't come back."

"I promise I won't." The photographer ushered them together before snapping a picture. Alya held up her phone and took one as well. Marinette waved to Peter before running over to the others. "Oh my gosh that was so much fun!" Her head turned to watch Peter and Adrien, who seemed to be having a deep conversation before taking a picture and rejoining the group. "Who are we gonna visit next?!"

Her question was soon answered as they got in line to meet Belle. Marinette was still a bit nervous since Belle was a princess rather than a wild boy. This line was longer than before since Belle was one of the most popular princesses, especially since she was one of the few Disney characters from France. But eventually it was their turn and Marinette walked forward, eyes wide as she approached the smiling brunette.

"Well hello, princess." Belle curtsied slightly.

"Princess?" She tore her eyes away from the yellow ball gown to stare at her face. The detail was so specific and intricate. The lighter yellow swirls that covered the bodice of the dress were only visible if you were close to her. They faded into the skirt which was composed of multiple layers and pleats, with yellow fabric roses placed at the point of each pleat.

"Well you are wearing a tiara aren't you?" Belle giggled and touched the top of her own head to indicate what are was talking about.

"Oh! Oh right! Yeah my friends made me wear it because it's my birthday." A soft pink coloration appeared on her cheeks as she rubbed the back of her neck. "A-And it's my first time visiting Disneyland."

"Oh well congratulations! What a magical place to be on your birthday." A gloved hand pointed off to the side where her friends stood. "Is that blonde one over there your prince?"

The blush darkened and she quickly shook her head. "No, no, no, no. We're just friends."

Belle raised an eyebrow at her but didn't question it. "Would you like to take a picture?"

"Yeah, I-I mean yes please!" She moved closer, gaze returning to the dress. "Your dress is absolutely amazing. I um.. It's one of the reasons I wanted to become a fashion designer. Watching your movie and seeing your dress in it I mean."

"Oh well thank you! Madame de La Grande Bouche helped me pick it out when the Beast and I had our first special dinner together." Her eyes moved toward Adrien. "I really love how it twirls. I bet your dress twirls as well. Did you make it yourself?"

"Yeah! It's one of my favorites. I just finished it last week." Somehow this stranger in a costume was making her so comfortable that she was just sharing personal information.

"Well it is absolutely beautiful. I am partial to roses myself. Perhaps I will be able to buy one someday from your fashion line."

"Y-Yeah!" Was that the character or the actress talking?

"Well why don't we take a picture so you will be able to move onto the rest of your birthday events?" An eager nod from Marinette and they stood beside each other, smiling before bidding each other farewell with another curtsy.

"Alright one more meet and greet then we have to go and get a good spot for the parade." Alya announced, dragging her back to where they had just been in line.

"Are we going to see Belle again?"

"Nope!" They slipped into a different line before walking all the way to the beginning. Marinette glanced over at the long line of people still waiting for the French princess. There were only ten or fifteen people in this line. It moved slow for how short it was, but as soon as they were ushered into the private room with the rest of the line, Marinette realized why.

"Rapunzel!" She gasped quietly, excitement bubbling up inside of her. The blonde princess had always been her favorite, mainly because she was always so happy and bubbly. It reminded Marinette of herself, especially BC (before Chloe). Rapunzel was spending five or more minutes with each child since her line wasn't very long. Marinette's smile widened as she watched the girl interact with each person who came through. She seemed to have the character down perfectly and was able to keep her excitement going for so long.

Marinette stood at the front of the line, waiting for her turn to meet the princess. Her knees wiggled excitedly before the worker waved her forward. She bounded over as Rapunzel turned around.

"Well hello!" The blonde exclaimed and gave her a big hug.

"Hi!" Marinette giggled, returning the gesture with just as much enthusiasm.

When they finally pulled apart, Rapunzel went to speak, but the words were replaced by a loud gasp when she saw the buttons on the dress. "It's your birthday?!" She was then pulled into another bone crushing hug, which reminded her of Lila. "Happy birthday! How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen." Marinette giggled.

"Me too! Oh and I love your dress. The flowers are so beautiful!"

"Thank you. I made it myself." Marinette's hands gently gripped the edge of the tulle layer as she swung back and forth, making the ivy and flowers in the bottom of it move around.

"You did? Well it's very impressive. You should make more and sell them." The blonde furrowed her brow, lips poking out as she nodded, trying her best to seem serious.

"Well that's my dream!"

"Oh really? Well follow your dreams. I did and I found out that I'm a princess and I found Flynn. I can see that you're obviously a princess from your crown and your dressmaking skills. Have you talked to Cinderella? I'm sure she and her mice would be very impressed. Have you found your Flynn yet?" The girl's green eyes moved over to her friend group who stood waiting their turn.

Why did these people think she and Adrien were dating? "Nope not yet! Still looking!" She said as Alya moved toward where the photographer was to get a better angle for her photos.

"Well don't worry! Just keep looking. He's out there somewhere!" They took pictures and Marinette stepped to the side to let the others have their turn.

Once that was over, they walked to Main Street, sitting on the edge of the sidewalk to mark their spots for the Disney Magic on Parade! which began at 5:30. Dinner was at Auberge du Cendrillon before backtracking to some areas in order to try out some rides they missed. The exhausted girls, sat down in front of the castle, stretching and trying to relax while the boy's grabbed snacks. The park was closing in twenty minutes, so they wanted to make sure they had a good spot for Disney Dreams! before the crowds arrived.

Marinette had a gentle grip on Adrien's arms as she bounced, waiting for the show to start. Nino and Alya were in front of them, Nino's arm around her waist, like couples do, as they waited for the show. All the lights dimmed and a man's voice announced the start. A soft squeal left Marinette. Her hands released him as the castle began to change colors before Tinkerbell flew around. The look of awe never left Marinette's face as she watched the show until the song from Tangled came on.

Adrien glanced over to see her holding her hands over her mouth. The lights from the castle revealed the shine of tears on her cheeks. He leaned down close to her ear. "Are you alright, Marinette?" He partially shout-whispered since the music was so loud.

A nod. "This song always makes me cry and..." She took a shuddering breath. "I-I'm just so happy... This day has been better than I could have ever imagined..." Adrien's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to lean against him.

"Happy birthday Mari." He smiled and finished watching the show.

When the last song ended, Marinette applauded so hard that her palms turned red. All traces of tears were gone from her face and her smile had returned. "Thank you all so much." She said and hugged them each individually. "This has been the best birthday I could have ever asked for."

* * *

Alright guys. I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last post before the wedding. The next chapter will be up in a few weeks.

Also, I was really excited for this chapter! I can't wait to hear what you guys think!


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